My day started unbalanced. There was a fantastic series of wind storms that interrupted my sleep with clanking blinds and papers flying. I had a dream I would have preferred to forget and a slippery bottle of milk left my sneakers in a puddle of white. The clean up of that dairy disaster, stole my YMCA mojo and left me feeling slightly…sour.
But, then… a coffee moment with someone special, a thorough bathroom scrubbing, and a somewhat cooler afternoon, started to swing the pendulum in the opposite direction. I watched a little Wimbledon, read a couple of chapters and had a five-minute power nap. Yes, there is such a thing.
Slightly after 5 pm, I made my way, accompanied by my favorite globe-trotting 30-something, to the Albany Barn fundraising event, Build Up. I wasn’t familiar with the location, but it was easy enough to find and we found convenient parking before the skies opened up for real. There was a meaty smokiness to the air which did nothing to diminish the bright airy quality of the well-lit room.
The attendees were upbeat and overwhelmingly familiar. There were more burger toppings than you could dream of, including locally sourced chanterelles, cheeses from R&G in Cohoes, sesame seed sprinkled buns from All Good Bakers and an overwhelming array of pickled, chopped and shredded veggies. Libations, exclusively from the Empire State were served.
I met the couple who own the house I most admire in the DelSo and had a Carrie Bradshaw moment despite my flat sandals. I shot photos and made introductions and assembled my own slider with chipotle chèvre, chimichurri, bacon and purple leaf lettuce. I drove home, noticing that Delaware Avenue was parked nearly full on both sides. My neighborhood was busy. It was a good day.
DelSo 